Wah-Wah

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 6 Feb 2002 2:07 pm

Been wanting one to play with for a while but also was considering an envelope filter...couldn't really decide and then I saw this and ordered it...received it today------Akai W1 Multi-Wah. I was taking a chance. I meanAkai?
Anyway, preliminary review is that it is pretty cool. The stand-out feature is that you can select one of three modes--standard wah-wah pedal, auto wah, or envelope filter. With the latter two, you can assign the pedal to control different parameters like speed or width (auto-wah) or sensitivity (env. filter).
I'm not a guitar-head and I can't hold my own in a conversation about white room vs. voodoo chile, crybaby vs. whatever----all I know is that this pedal sounds pretty decent.

It may be discontinued, a clearance special. I picked it up for $69 at
http://www.musictoyz.com/index.htm

I ordered it Monday pm. and received it today (not rush shipping or anything).

If you're thinking of wah-wah, this is worth considering.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 6 Feb 2002 2:21 pm

Which foot will you take away from your pedal steel and dedicate to working that thing?

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 6 Feb 2002 2:31 pm

Egg-zackly why I was considering an envelope filter. But I figure that since I don't know what all those pedals down there are for anyway (they make the guitar go faster,right?) I guess I can spare a foot.
But no, I'm not too keen on having this cluttering up the floor and I don't figure it to be part of my standard rig.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 9 Feb 2002 1:12 am

The "auto-wah" feature (not to be confused with a city in Canada) allows you to use the device merely by turning it on...no extra foot is needed!

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Feb 2002 9:01 pm

Buddy Emmons Sings Bob Wills

Does anybody have that old album? I seem to remember Buddy using a similar effect on "Bottle Baby Boogie".

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Lee, from South Texas

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 9 Feb 2002 9:04 pm

I don't know what all those pedals down there are for anyway (they make the guitar go faster,right?)

LOL! I'm gonna hafta remember that one, Jon!

[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 09 February 2002 at 09:05 PM.]

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 9 Feb 2002 10:40 pm

Does anyone make an envelope filter in a multi-effects rack unit? I like my Boss GX-700 but the auto-wah in it just isn't the same as my old MXR envelope filter.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 10 Feb 2002 3:05 am

My Peavey Transtube Fex has an auto wah patch. I don't think much of the "auto" wah, but using the envelope filter provides a "poor mans" MatchBro.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 10 Feb 2002 4:29 am

Also the Roland GP100

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 10 Feb 2002 8:07 am

I've always found that an envelope filter works best when plugged directly into the guitar. The envelope filters in rack units, when plugged in after the volume pedal or in an effects loop, just doesn't sound as good. A lot of the control of the "auto-wah" effect has to do with how hard or soft you pick the strings. The way to get the best control of this is by plugging the unit in between the guitar and volume pedal. My favorite was the MXR Envelope Filter.

I used to use a Cry Baby pedal set up next to my volume pedal with some good results. Just moved my foot off the volume pedal and onto the Wah pedal.

The worst part was people making fun of me for the mouth movements that go along with using a "wah wah" type device.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

[This message was edited by Richard Sinkler on 10 February 2002 at 08:09 AM.]

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 10 Feb 2002 8:13 am

A follow-up---this unit sounds good and really is versatile. Unfortunately it is not built like a tank. It would not withstand the rigors of careless handling onstage and in gigbags, long term. And it has much too big a footprint. It is a square more than twice as wide as a volume pedal (about 2/3 as long). If anybody remembers my stomp box outrigger (I'm a 100% believer in that one) you'll know that I'm not big on floor clutteror bent-over tweaking. This doesn't really suit me well. But musically, it's a hip unit. No decision yet.

----and yeh, Richard---my mouth and jaw ache after playing thru this thing. I'm incapable of not making wah-wah face.[This message was edited by Jon Light on 10 February 2002 at 08:15 AM.]

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 10 Feb 2002 8:35 am

Richard, the way my rig is wired up, I do go directly from my guitar into the GX-700 and have my volume pedal in its loop. I did it this way specifically for the reason you stated.

You mention the auto-wah and envelope filter as if they are the same thing. I don't believe they are, at least I can't get my auto-wah to sound anything like my MXR envelope filter. Any hints/tips to get that sound would be appreciated.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@charter.net
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-13 8&8=-

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 10 Feb 2002 9:25 am

Jim, Agreed that "auto-Wah" and envelope filter are not one and the same. Not sure exactly what they mean by the term auto-wah (except for that Canadian city). I believe there is no perfect substitute for an actual wah-wah pedal. The envelope filter can acheive some sounds available from a wah pedal but it all has to do with the way you pick your strings. Granted, you don't have as much control as you would with a wah pedal, but with a lot of practice you can get a very convincing wah type sound from an envelope filter. Maybe I still have mine in the attic. If I do, I'll play around with it and see if I can shed more light on it's use.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 10 Feb 2002 9:37 am

I'm very familiar with the MXR envelope filter, as I've had mine for probably 20 years. I'd just like to get my auto-wah to sound the same so I'll have one less piece of gear to haul around.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 10 Feb 2002 10:16 am

It is my understanding that an ottawah (they should call the envelope filter a saskatoon) is not a triggered device but rather just a sweeping effect like a flanger. You can set the speed and width but then it is either on or off. Much less hip than the touch sensitive saskatoon.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 10 Feb 2002 6:39 pm

Jon, thanks for the explanation. I had never heard the term "auto-wah" until this thread.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 10 Feb 2002 11:39 pm

I've got an old CryBaby wah-wah, almost never use it with guitar or steel, last time I used it as a tone filter. You can get pretty close to a Dobro-type tone out of it if you just click it on and find the right place in the pedal's rotation for the right frequency and just leave it there, don't pump it and make it go "wah". Anybody else use theirs for that?

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 11 Feb 2002 5:42 pm

I used to teach a player that used a Cry Baby for a tone control (filter). Unfortunately he had possibly the worst sound Sierra guitar I have ever heard and the wah compounded the bad tone. He played through a Musicman amp and the combination of all these just sounded like crap.

He's also the jerk that left town with a lot of my old (unreplaceable)records.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 11 Feb 2002 5:52 pm

Someone--I think it was Chandler--made a small active electronic unit that you could drop into a guitar--just a single pot. Called the Tone X I think. All it was was the guts of a wah. I was going to put it in a guitar I was building but I read that it was a very noisy unit so I passed. Yeah, a wah can be used as an extreme tone control. I love the colors you can get to. I use a Boss parametric eq as part of my rig but it doesn't zero in on those freqs like a wah.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 11 Feb 2002 6:08 pm

Back in '80 I had an Alembic guitar, not like the crappy ones now, all handmade out of Cherry, Zebrawood and Purpleheart. It had active circuitry, the tone controls would go "WAH" if you turned them while sustaining something...probably the same basic circuit as a wah-wah. Sounded pretty good. I think they built their own circuitry. Yeah Richard, I've had "friends" like the guy that stole your records; loaned my favorite Strat to one, he'd just gotten back with his wife and had a new baby, hard up for money and hocked his guitar so I loaned him mine. He took off with it and I've never heard from him since. That was in about '89 or '90 I think. I'm beginning to think I might not see that guitar again....... Hey, Steamer, howya likin' that Strat?[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 11 February 2002 at 06:12 PM.]